Kizuna
by UzuSphere
Summary: Natsume Takashi would wonder why he had been picked of all people to reincarnate into another world, and as an ogre at that! Living his life calmly, he tries to enjoy his new life despite the differences. Hm? Why is that person looking at me like that? Future Slash Pairing, Crack!Fic, Cross-posted to AO3
1. Prologue

_**Kizuna**_

**(Natsume Yuujinchou x Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken)**

* * *

**Author's Note: This fanfiction was inspired by ****_harunekoya's "Worthy of A Name" and "The Human Mask"_**** featuring a human-turned-god Natsume, as well as reading Tensei Shittara Slime datta ken manga chapters. Please be warned that this fic will involve slash sometime later in the story so don't read this if you don't like slash stories. _But, _it will be mostly gen...probably...with hints of romance (or its the other way around?). This is a crack fic after all so no real deep planning was made in this story.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Warnings: OOCness (it is inevitable), may have failure in writing the game-like parts in this story, future slash pairing**

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

An ogre child let out a sigh as it laid its back against the tree. It squinted its eyes at the sunlight that leaked between the leaves but ended up looking back down again once it had enough staring. The child had silver colored locks; its hair slightly messy from running around and playing with the other ogre children within the village. A short braid could be seen resting on its shoulder which greatly contrasted against its dark blue kimono-hakama clothing combination.

A leaf began to fall after a few moments and landed on the child's head. Grey skinned hands peeked out from the sleeves as it took the leaf off its head. The leaf was unlike anything it had seen before, even during its previous life. It was see-through like glass yet it was soft and easily torn apart if done with enough force just like any other leaf. It was a peculiar specimen when the child thought about it.

_This world is so different from my own,_ wistfully it thought.

Yes, this ogre child had been born different from the rest of its kin. It had been born with memories from another world; a male human with the special ability to see the supernatural, a Japanese boy named Natsume Takashi. He had led mostly a mundane life with hints of danger from interacting with yokai and exorcists. He had had a yokai companion, his self-proclaimed bodyguard who held the form of a _maneki neko_ but was actually a powerful inugami named Madara. Although he remembered fondly calling the fake cat "Nyanko-sensei" instead. It had been a shallow relationship with Nyanko-sensei protecting him rather flimsily at first in exchange for the Book of Friends upon his death but eventually it had developed into something stronger.

He then thought of the Book of Friends. It had actually been a forbidden object according to his exorcist friend because it was filled with the true names of yokai from all around that his grandmother had defeated prior to her death. But even so, it had been his connection with her as well as the yokai he became friends with.

His mind flashed towards the Fujiwara couple who kindly took him in and his precious friends who had supported him. Thinking about them brought him fond memories but he felt a twinge of regret for not being able to finish his task of returning all the names within the Book of Friends. He had died due to an accident and ended up waking in this world as an infant.

It had not been an easy transition to learning that he had been reincarnated into one of the monster tribes that lived within the Great Forest of Jura but he adapted. Despite having slightly monstrous looks and greater strengths than humans, they were still people. The only thing he found odd was the fact that most monsters were born and remained nameless unless they were given names by another Named monster.

When he had asked the elders, they explained that upon being named, the Name would become engraved into the soul and at most, increase the _magicules_ in their bodies. It was rare for them to evolve unless the one who named them had even greater power.

He had gotten used to this fact and accepted his current nameless status.

Most of the ogres called him the blacksmith's nephew anyway so it was somewhat easy to distinguish himself from the rest. He sighed again and started fiddling with his bangs. _Silver, huh..._It was such a different color from his pale blond hair from before but it wasn't too bad since it reminded him a bit of Nyanko-sensei's fur color (even though said color was actually white). He slid forward to the large puddle near the tree and bent down to stare at his reflection. Light green orbs were reflected instead of his old golden brown ones. He reached out to trace the black lines around his eyes which started from the side of his eyelids and then slightly curved downwards.

Two small white horns protruded from his forehead reminding him more of his ogre heritage. Aside from his obviously grey skin, he lamented at the fact that he seemed to look even more androgynous now. He could probably pass off as a girl now! He wanted to weep. He would have cut his slightly long hair to try and preserve his manly image if not for his late mother's wishes.

A burst of exclamations from the crowd of children he had temporarily separated from, drew his attention. His eyes searched for the source where he found his friends surrounding a familiar red-skinned ogre child. It was the child of the leader whom everyone called "young master". The young master seemed to be holding a practice sword, resembling the ones they used in _kendo_ back in his old world.

It was interesting to note that he had not been the only otherworlder to arrive in this world. It was said that 400 hundred years ago, there was a group of armored warriors that wandered into the village and the ogres had accepted them into their tribe. In gratitude, the warriors taught them their skills and ways of life, thus was the reason why the ogre village seemed to resemble the old era of Japan.

He felt comforted that there were some familiar things in this new world although he decided to never speak of his true origins. He didn't want to end up ostracized like before after all (it was a huge possibility) so he never spoke of his before-life to anyone, even to his late parents.

He stood up and proceeded to walk towards his friends in relative calmness as he thought of his current status. His father and mother had died a few years after his birth where he was then entrusted to his paternal uncle who was actually one of the village blacksmiths. His memories of them were a little fuzzy but he could still remember his mother's gentle voice as well as his father's hearty laugh when they ate together.

It was saddening that he lost his father and mother so early in this new life of his but at least he still had his uncle.

He snapped out of his thoughts and began to run down the small hill and to his small group of friends who were now beckoning him closer.

A (fake) gentle smile appeared on his face as he stopped and faced the group.

"Come on! Let's train together with young master and Sword Ogre!" They cried out excitedly as they pulled him with them.

He simply laughed and joined in.

_(I feel alone.)_

* * *

**TBC**


	2. I: Life in the Ogre Village

_**Kizuna**_

**(Natsume Yuujinchou x Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken)**

* * *

**Author's Note: This fanfiction was inspired by ****_harunekoya's "Worthy of A Name" and "The Human Mask"_**** featuring a human-turned-god Natsume, as well as reading Tensei Shittara Slime datta ken manga chapters. Please be warned that this fic will involve slash sometime later in the story so don't read this if you don't like slash stories. _But, _it will be mostly gen...probably...with hints of romance (or its the other way around?). This is a crack fic after all so no real deep planning was made in this story.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Warnings: OOCness (it is inevitable), may have failure in writing the game-like parts in this story, future slash pairing**

* * *

**I: Life in the Ogre Village**

* * *

"Little blacksmith~ It's time for a lesson!"

Natsume Takashi looked up from his sewing and nodded with a small smile once he heard his uncle's voice. "Coming, uncle!" He said as he placed his work aside on one of the free tables inside the Japanese-styled house they shared, before standing up to follow the older ogre.

Once he was outside, he found his uncle waiting for him. They walked side by side despite their highly contrasting sizes. While Takashi was a willowy child, his uncle was more of a hulking adult male. His uncle had always had an exceptionally fierce face despite actually being more of a gentle giant. It was a surprising fact; Takashi could still remember his fear when he first met the man but eventually he came to know more about him after getting over it.

As they walked past the other houses, he noted that all of the houses were made in _gassho-zukuri_ style where the roofs were shaped like "praying hands" and had three or more floors. It was somewhat of a random trivia he remembered one of his (before-life) friends were talking about. It was a rare style and couldn't be seen out of a certain place in Japan. He couldn't remember most of that friend's words but it gave credence to the fact that Japanese architecture had helped shaped this village's culture until now.

They soon arrived at the workshop where the other blacksmith ogres took the time to greet them. The closest one was a teenage male ogre with purple skin and long black hair tied into a high ponytail. He had a single black horn protruding from his forehead. Takashi often called him "Purple-oniisan" for lack of better distinction. There was also "Peach-ojisan" and "Natto-ojisan", two whom he weren't close to but could still speak comfortably with.

"It's good to see you, little blacksmith!" Purple-oniisan shamelessly petted Takashi's head as he moved closer inside.

"Stop it, nii-san!" He immediately protested and moved to smoothen his hair out.

"Hehe~ okay, okay. I'll stop now." The older boy grinned.

_Smack_

"Alright! It's time to get back to work!" Takashi heard his uncle shout to get their attention after clapping his hands together. The three blacksmiths immediately went to their stations and began working while his uncle pulled him to his own station where he would begin teaching him their smithing techniques.

Never before in Takashi's life did he think that he would be learning how to become a blacksmith, but because his uncle was one and the head blacksmith at that, it was a given he would have to learn. He watched carefully as his uncle took out a heated ore and began hitting it evenly and rhythmically with his hammer against the anvil. It was oddly soothing, he thought and there was a tiny itch in his head that seemed to be telling him to try it.

"Want to try it?" His uncle suddenly stopped and then handed him the hammer.

"H-How did you know, uncle?" He stammered in surprise as he took a hold of it into his hands. It was surprisingly just the right weight despite his thin stature. A normal human child would have a hard time lifting such a hammer but since he was an ogre, they were stronger than most humans even at birth.

His uncle gave a rather scary grin as he ruffled his nephew's silver hair. "You just had that look on your face." He answered. "Come on, let's get right to it."

"Yes, uncle."

* * *

**ooo**

* * *

"Little blacksmith! It's time for your magic lesson!" A feminine voice called out from outside.

Takashi paused and blinked in surprise. "Is it time for that already?" He muttered in astonishment. A large hand settled on his shoulder and he turned around to find Purple-oniisan staring at him with a grin.

"The head said that you can go ahead. Your lesson for today is over." The purple ogre told him while jabbing a thumb directed to his uncle who was concentrating on his own work at the back.

"Ah, um, okay..." He replied, a little unsure but with his hands already moving to fix his own area. Once he was finished putting away his things, he excused himself with a bow and left to meet with his magic teacher who was waiting outside.

Takashi found an older female ogre with light pink skin and long wavy _sakura_ colored hair tied into a bun waiting for him. She had two long white horns protruding from her forehead and had red jagged lightning markings underneath her bright pink-colored eyes. She wore a formal kimono in pink and white hues of colors. She had a rather matron-like appearance and personality, and all of the villagers respected her.

The reason being that she was the wife of the head of the village.

"_Okusama_, I apologize for making you wait." He bowed deeply, immediately.

The village head's wife laughed lightly and told him to stop bowing. "You don't have to be so formal all the time, little blacksmith. Besides, I was the one who imposed on you to start attending these lessons. There aren't a lot of ogres who hold the talent to use magic after all." She then sighed in disappointment. "Most of the other ogre children want to learn how to use swords so they tend to neglect their magic training. I wish the others would be more interested in it like you and my daughter."

"Um, _hai._" He answered when she suddenly stopped talking.

A smile emitting a rather ominous aura suddenly appeared on her face. "While I'm glad you're attending these lessons, we shouldn't make the others wait. How about we speed this up?" She stated and proceeded to run, nearly leaving him behind if he hadn't sped up his steps as well.

_It's a good thing ogres have rather high vitalities for monsters, I wouldn't have been able to do this otherwise. _He thought in slight fear. _I fear I may be punished by okusama if I hadn't been able to catch up to her._

"Fufu~ keep up now, little blacksmith~" He heard her laugh over the wind.

_Aaaahhh!_

* * *

**TBC**


	3. II: Life in the Ogre Village 2

**_Kizuna_**

**(Natsume Yuujinchou x Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken)**

* * *

**Author's Note: This fanfiction was inspired by _harunekoya's "Worthy of A Name" and "The Human Mask"_ featuring a human-turned-god Natsume, as well as reading Tensei Shittara Slime datta ken manga chapters. Please be warned that this fic will involve slash sometime later in the story so don't read this if you don't like slash stories. _But, _it will be mostly gen...probably...with hints of romance (or its the other way around?). This is a crack fic after all so no real deep planning was made in this story.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Warnings: OOCness (it is inevitable), may have failure in writing the game-like parts in this story, future slash pairing**

* * *

**II: Life in the Ogre Village 2**

* * *

Red flames blazed as it morphed itself into the shape of a huge wolf-like creature. It romped around, leaving ashen footprints on the ground, before promptly disappearing at the will of its creator. This creator being a two horned, grey-skinned, and silver haired male ogre child whom was fondly called "little blacksmith" by the other ogres. He let out a sigh of relief as he brought his hand to his chest as if to comfort himself.

He then looked to the village head's wife who also doubled as the magic instructor of the village, revealing his light green eyes. "How was that, okusama?" He asked politely.

The older female ogre applauded lightly and gave him a closed smile. "You did a great job, little blacksmith. Your **[Fire Manipulation]** has gotten even better but I suppose you should work on raising the heat of your flames and making sure it doesn't go out of control. That's your assignment for now." She said as she evaluated him.

"I understand, okusama."

He was about to sit together with the other students when a flower-inducing voice called out to him. "You did great, nii-chan!" He looked to the side and saw a child clone of okusama staring at him with starry eyes. He noted that the only difference between mother and daughter was that the latter had tear-like markings instead which had been inherited from the father.

Takashi wasn't sure what made the princess of the ogre village to act so familiarly like this when he had done his best to be as polite as possible to brush her off. Perhaps it was because he was the first student of her mother to willingly attend the magic lessons? He didn't know but decided to keep up his wall of politeness.

_(It's still hard to think of this place as home. I can't afford to be too close to anyone here in this village. I'm scared of what they might think of my secrets...)_

"T-Thank you very much for the compliment, _hime-sama._" He said with a tiny bow. It was a bit nerve-wracking considering their different social statuses (here in the village, hierarchy was unmistakably important). He was now an inhabitant of this world, he had to adapt after all. He remained silent while trying to avoid her eyes.

She was then gently directed by her mother to perform element-based magic. "Come now, my dear daughter. It's your turn to show me how much you've improved with your control."

"Yes, okaa-sama!" The young daughter of the head answered excitedly. "I'll do my best!" She then gave Takashi a glance and a small wave with her hand.

He nodded shyly in return and took a seat on the ground, not noticing the person sitting a few meters beside him.

_I'm glad that's over with. I'll have some free time after this lesson, I wonder what should I -_

"Oi, little blacksmith."

_Huh?_

Sitting at his side was a male ogre child with red skin and wavy crimson colored hair. His two horns and the tear-like markings on his face gave evidence to his identity as the young master of the village head. "Y-Young master?!" He stuttered but quickly resumed his calm.

A small closed smile appeared on his face as he addressed the slightly older boy. "What is it, young master?"

A frown made its way on the young master's face. "You - I don't understand you." He crossed his arms in frustration.

"What's there to understand?" Takashi asked, still keeping his seemingly serene expression. He glanced at the magic being performed at the front and then returned his gaze at the red skinned ogre. "I'll be going ahead now, I have some things I have to attend to. Please excuse me, young master." He gave a bow before proceeding to tell the head lady his excuses.

The young master watched in slight interest as the silver haired ogre moved until he left the site. He then grumbled in annoyance.

_"He didn't even give me any more time to speak. What a rude kid, he just up and left!"_

"Ara?" He heard as an ominous aura emanated from his side. The red-haired boy turned to look to see his mother and younger sister staring at him with scary grins on their faces.

"O-Okaa-sama, i-imouto-chan..." He trailed off in hesitance. He laughed sheepishly as he tried to retreat. "I thought you were still busy with the magic evaluation - "

_"Did you just speak **ill** of little blacksmith?"_ His mother asked as she grabbed his shoulder.

"I-I didn't!" He stammered.

"Don't lie, onii-sama!" His little sister exclaimed from the side, her cheeks puffing. It was clear that she liked the silver-haired boy, platonically or romantically was his personal question. _But the signs seem to be more of friend than crush quality..._

"Okay, fine!" He eventually relented. "I called him rude, but not to his face!"

His mother sighed. "My son, you have to understand, it's still bad to speak ill of people even if they aren't within the vicinity." She took a seat beside him, her hand letting go of his shoulder and turning to rest on her lap instead. "_Especially_ of that child. He was young when he lost his parents, his only living relative is his uncle who is the current head blacksmith of the village and a direct subordinate of your father. We infer that the reason he is so closed off to the others and puts up a wall of politeness is to prevent himself from feeling that same loss he felt when his parents had died."

"He has his uncle, doesn't he?" He asked, his tone a bit more solemn.

"Onii-sama, that uncle is a direct subordinate of otou-sama, remember?"

"So?"

She smacked his shoulder, her cheeks puffing once more. "Don't be an idiot, that means he's busy because he has to run the forge everyday!" She then stood up, putting her hands on her hips as she faced him. "_Meaning,_ he doesn't spend enough time with little blacksmith-niichan!"

"Oh," he muttered.

"Just be patient with him, alright?" Okaa-sama asked before leaving him with his sister to go evaluate her other students.

"Un..."

* * *

**TBC**


	4. III: Book of Friends

_**Kizuna**_

**(Natsume Yuujinchou x Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken)**

* * *

**Author's Note: This fanfiction was inspired by ****_harunekoya's "Worthy of A Name" and "The Human Mask"_**** featuring a human-turned-god Natsume, as well as reading Tensei Shittara Slime datta ken manga chapters. Please be warned that this fic will involve slash sometime later in the story so don't read this if you don't like slash stories. _But, _it will be mostly gen...probably...with hints of romance (or its the other way around?). This is a crack fic after all so no real deep planning was made in this story.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Warnings: OOCness (it is inevitable), may have failure in writing the game-like parts in this story, future slash pairing**

* * *

**III: Book of Friends**

* * *

It was said that the Glass Leaf Tree that resided at the east borders of the village was a remnant of the magicules of the dragon corpse that had been killed by a Japanese Otherwolder named Araki Byakuya. Its leftover magicules had mutated one of the nearby trees into what it was now; a tree with leaves as clear as glass.

Not many ogres visited this tree due to a number of reasons but the training fields that was located just below its hill was often used for weapon training. Takashi walked calmly towards the tree's spot and did a short bow of acknowledgement to the martial instructor who often roamed the fields on his way there. The martial instructor was strongest swordsman of the royal guard and another direct subordinate to the village head, he was known as the Sword Ogre to all.

Another factor that contributed to the great respect that had been given to the older ogre was that he was a direct descendant to the same human otherworlder that had slayed the dragon that would have run rampant at the village 400 years ago.

Takashi knew that was a portion of evidence that he could trust the tribe members of his true identity but he couldn't bring himself to say anything about it. He was a human soul that had overtaken the body of the baby of an ogre couple. He couldn't help but be afraid of the probability of those same stares he had garnered back when he had been a child in his before-life. Fear of the unknown was what held him back from being more open with the villagers. Politeness was his shield.

He eventually arrived at the base of the tree and settled down on the grassy floor with his back against its trunk. A strong gust of wind blew past him, his long braid momentarily flying with the wind before it fell and rested on his shoulder once the gust had died down. He let out a huff and calmed down as he closed his eyes.

The world was seemingly dark at first but he began to see some fluctuations of dark and light waves. His comprehension of this extra skill was nearing completion. It was something he had been working on upon hearing it from the Sword Ogre. He was no genius so despite it being supposedly simple, he needed a few days to actually be able to see the said fluctuations.

In the end...

**《Confirmation complete. Extra Skill [Magic Sense] was successfully acquired.****》 **A robotic voice declared in his mind.

"Oh, I finally got it." He mumbled to himself. He opened his eyes and stared at the sky. _What a peculiar being...this **[Voice of the World]**... _He thought, his interest piquing a bit. _This being is what sent me into this world and could not be conversed with, only listened to when it was to voice announcements._

He blinked rapidly, his eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.

_Come to think of it, there was another thing I had wanted to try._

He stood up from his place and decided to venture past the Glass Leaf Tree and deeper into the woods.

(Unbeknownst to him, the Sword Ogre was watching him closely from afar.)

* * *

**ooo**

* * *

Once he was a good distance away from the village, he took a broken stick and began drawing a certain circle onto the ground. He stepped onto the middlemost characters, used water magic to make something similar to a mirror, and then laid it onto the ground. He supposed it was a good thing he was already wearing a white _nagajuban_ underneath his kimono so all he had to do was to strip off the outer layers.

The Book of Friends was missing since it didn't exist in this world and his blood was not of Natsume Reiko's, but maybe...just maybe...it would work. Perhaps that dream had not been just a dream, but that of a memory.

He bit his finger, drawing blood, and then dropped some of it onto the magicked mirror.

_Drip Drop_

"One who protects me," He began as he clapped his hands together, "come forth to me."

He willed his magicules onto the circle, trying to draw forth that same feeling he had called upon that night. There was a sense that it would work but he wasn't sure. He was in another world, how could they even reach him from over there?

"Your name is..." He paused, taking a deep breath, "Misuzu."

He imagined the _yujinchou _in front of him, the pages of the book fluttering until it reached the said yokai's name.

_(Nyanko-sensei couldn't be called, his name had not been within the Book of Friends after all.)_

First, there was a small whirlwind. It shook the trees surrounding them.

Takashi could feel a certain feeling budding within his chest.

Second, a flash of light shone from the ground up.

_Was this hope?_

And then there was the sound of bells ringing. It was a familiar sound and one that could not be mistaken.

The light disappeared to reveal a familiar bull yokai. Misuzu was overwhelmingly large but not to the extent of being something scary.

The silver-haired ogre found himself walking forward before he could think about doing so. He reached out and touched the snout of the large yokai with a genuine smile on his face.

"It actually worked..." He mumbled in genuine surprise.

His legs collapsed underneath him with the only reason he was not fully on the floor was due to him holding onto the yokai.

"It has been a while, my lord."

(He wanted to laugh in amusement, where was Misuzu's usual "Natsume-dono"?)

"It has been, hasn't it, Misuzu?" He could feel his strength gradually leaving him, his consciousness weakening.

_(I'm no longer alone.)_

A single tear rolled down his cheeks as he fully lost himself to the void.

_If I die, wouldn't it be sad if I couldn't contact my friends anymore?_

**《Confirmation Complete. Acquiring Unique Skill [Book of Friends]...Success.》**

* * *

**TBC**


	5. IV: Misuzu

_**Kizuna**_

**(Natsume Yuujinchou x Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken)**

* * *

**Author's Note: This fanfiction was inspired by ****_harunekoya's "Worthy of A Name" and "The Human Mask"_**** featuring a human-turned-god Natsume, as well as reading Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken manga chapters. Please be warned that this fic will involve slash sometime later in the story so don't read this if you don't like slash stories. _But, _it will be mostly gen...probably...with hints of romance (or its the other way around?). This is a crack fic after all so no real deep planning was made in this story.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Warnings: OOCness (it is inevitable), may have failure in writing the game-like parts in this story, future slash pairing**

* * *

**IV: Misuzu**

* * *

It had been a normal day.

Everything had been going smoothly as routine.

No one within the Ogre Tribe could have ever expected something else to happen.

Until a large bull-like creature appeared just east of their village boundary, radiating massive amounts of magicules. Yet just a few minutes after its appearance, its terrifying aura had disappeared causing some speculations to erupt. One had cried out that its magicules was comparative to that of an A+ rank monster, and that they must be cautious. Swiftly, the others reacted and those who were in charge of the security were immediately sent out to inspect it from a safe distance.

The village had undergone a state of emergency. Warring clan they may be, only those who who were a part of the royal guard remained to fight if needed while the rest, including the children, went to stay in their well-guarded safehouse. The head lady and her two children would have also left for the safehouse if not for their insistence to stay. Further chaos would have ensued if not for the Sword Ogre's timely arrival. He appeared in a flash in front of the gathered crowd. Despite his old-looking appearance, he was no doubt very powerful.

"A false alarm," he had said before the rest of the security team could be sent out. "The creature is no threat." He further added to try and dissuade their fears.

Many cried out in relief but there were still those who were skeptical. What could have caused such a high rank monster to appear all of a sudden? And just right of their village?

Sword Ogre raised his hand and the murmurs and questions halted. He cleared his throat and began to explain. "Please wait for a moment. It will all be explained by the creature himself." As he was saying this, he looked towards the head lady of the village who had been holding onto her children's hands. The two did not have the telepathy skill but they could still read each other's thoughts just as skillfully.

_No threat. Please trust me._

She could practically discern from his gaze. It didn't take long for her to accept it, he was a part of the royal guard, and had been an inhabitant of this tribe far longer than she. He was a man of valor and a respected swordsman, and besides all that...she trusted him.

A nod from her was what prompted him to continue his explanation. "The creature is a summoning, his name is Misuzu."

"A Named creature?!" One warrior had gasped out loudly but was quickly shushed to quiet down by the others. The master swordsman was not yet finished.

"Named as he is but because he is a summoning, he cannot hurt others without his master's orders so we are safe for the time being."

"Sword Ogre, please elaborate more on this matter." Okusama immediately spoke up to question him. She took the initiative to voice out this question to prevent more dissonance from erupting within the villagers. With her taking the lead in questioning, those within the crowd would have no need to speak up thus lessening the possibility of chaos.

"The summoning was a result of a Unique Skill." He stated, purposefully avoiding the main issue of the topic. "It was the result of an accidental activation of the said skill. The summoner did not mean to summon a high rank creature when they did so."

Okusama was a bit confused by his approach to answer her command. _H...He was skirting around it?_ _Why did he not speak of who was behind the summoning? Was it because it was someone they knew of?_ A frown momentarily appeared on her face but quickly disappeared as it came. She could not show too much emotions in front of the villagers, problems may arise if she showed them.

_The Sword Ogre was purposefully trying to downplay the incident for that person..._

_It meant that it was someone whom I know personally...and is currently missing from the vi - _Her eyes widened upon realization and she quickly turned to look at the Sword Ogre for confirmation. He gave a small nod as if he had read her thoughts.

_(It could not be her husband. He, and some of the men and women whom were a part of his personal guard, were still out for an important meeting far away from the village. It could not be those who had been sent out for hunting and foraging either because they had already returned hours ago. All the children were accounted for except for...) _

_Little blacksmith..._

They could no longer skirt around the question puzzling everyone's minds. Murmurs of agitation and curiosity were beginning to brew within the supposedly silenced crowd. It was time to ask the question.

(Okusama was glad that only their warriors were left in the village as of now, it would have been a horror trying to control the rest of the villagers if they had remained.)

"Who was the summoner?" She finally pressed on.

_We can still mitigate their reaction _— _!_

The master swordsman hesitated for a moment and was about to answer when —

— when the ringing of bells sounded, resonating through the forest surrounding the east of the village and interrupting that tense moment of revelation. Leaves rustled and then, just behind the Glass Leaf Tree, a giant bull-like creature appeared. Purple fog emanated from it, adding to its fearsome aura. The warriors readied themselves and pointed their weapons at the sight of it but hesitated when the Sword Ogre raised his arm to stop them.

"I am here to explain my presence just as you have suggested, Sword Ogre-dono." It said, its wide nearly soulless-looking eyes wandering to and fro at the crowd formed below the small hill. "But while I may have agreed to your request, I would appreciate it if there are no weapons pointed towards my master and I." His voice then deepened on his next words. _"**Otherwise**, I may take it as a **threat** instead."_

"I apologize for the misconception, Misuzu-dono." He bowed and then glared at the guards behind him. They immediately relented and lowered their weapons.

Once the possible threat had abated, Misuzu floated down the hill, lessening the fog around him. He was huge, all of them thought. The bull-like creature looked a bit similar to the bulldeer monster that roamed the woods but the former was obviously sentient and very powerful compared to the latter. There were a bit who silently questioned to why it wore similar clothing to their own though but that was quickly put aside since it was not the right time for that.

"My name is Misuzu," it stated and then lowered and opened its left limb which resembled a human-like hand, revealing a familiar ogre child with grey skin and silver hair. "And this is my master."

"Little blacksmith-niichan!" The princess of the ogre tribe exclaimed in surprise before the others could properly react.

* * *

**TBC**


	6. V: Misuzu 2

_**Kizuna**_

**(Natsume Yuujinchou x Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken)**

* * *

**Author's Note: This fanfiction was inspired by ****_harunekoya's "Worthy of A Name" and "The Human Mask"_**** featuring a human-turned-god Natsume, as well as reading Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken manga chapters. Please be warned that this fic will involve slash sometime later in the story so don't read this if you don't like slash stories. _But, _it will be mostly gen...probably...with hints of romance (or its the other way around?). This is a crack fic after all so no real deep planning was made in this story.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Warnings: OOCness (it is inevitable), may have failure in writing the game-like parts in this story, future slash pairing, foul language**

* * *

**V: Misuzu 2**

* * *

Takashi woke up with a bleary sight of the ceiling to his own home. His memories were seemingly fuzzy at first until he remembered what had transpired moments ago. Or had it been longer than that? How long had he been unconscious?

His eyes widened considerably and he found himself immediately getting out of bed to check outside.

_Where was Misuzu?!_

He ran without pause and stumbled on his way out of the door, only to land in the familiar arms of a large ogre. It was fortunate his uncle caught him before he could land on the ground but that was the furthest thing from his mind at the moment. Blinking in shock, he voiced out immediately his thoughts to his uncle.

"Uncle, where is Misuzu?" He asked, agitated.

How did he even get home in the first place? Had the villagers seen Misuzu? What had happened?

"Little blacksmith, are you sure you should be out of bed?" His uncle asked instead, sounding worried.

"Uncle!" He protested and struggled to get out of the older ogre's arms. "Let me go! I have to find Misuzu!"

_(Inside, he knew he was acting out of character but at the thought of losing Misuzu, his only connection to his old world — !)_

The sound of bells appearing immediately calmed him down before he even heard the familiar voice of the yokai.

"_Oya, oya. _What a troublesome master I have." Misuzu said amusedly. "You must cease your struggling, my lord. Your uncle is only worried for the state of your health, that is why he was stopping you from trying to roam about just as you have just awakened."

"I...okay, Misuzu." Takashi found himself nodding weakly. The yokai was here now, that all that mattered.

"Sleep for now, I will still be here when you awaken."

"Mhm..." The ogre child found himself drifting off to sleep at his soothing voice.

A soft tap on the blacksmith's shoulder was all the sign he needed to know that his nephew was well and deep into sleep yet again. He sighed out in relief and shifted the boy's body a bit to better accommodate his weight on his arms. He could feel a blatant stare directed towards him and turned to look up at the bull-like creature — no, _yokai_, who had declared itself a denizen of another world. It stared at him - them, with a rather menacing grin.

_This was my nephew's summon?_ He had wanted to protest at the yokai's presence within the village but the head lady had enforced the command that it would be better if it remained in order to introduce its presence immediately to the villagers so that they would get used to it quickly.

Irritatingly enough, despite its intimidating appearance, the other ogres got used to it and found themselves liking it due to its immense strength and weirdly charismatic behavior. The children even moreso.

_Sh*t. That creepy ass grin is freaking me out. _He thought and then quickly glared at it. "What's with that grin, huh?!" He boldly yelled in annoyance.

Misuzu simply chuckled. "Nothing, it seems my lord trusts you very deeply to fall asleep just like that."

_(And it seems that being in a child's body has reverted some of his emotional control to that of a child's. No matter, he is still Natsume-dono to me.)_

"Of course! I'm his uncle and his only living relative, it's a given!" The ogre declared.

"That may be so." He agreed but then gave a summarized description of the ogre boy that proved otherwise. "But my master is a rather emotionally holed up individual. He has rather tough defences, does he not? He hides behind fake smiles and walls of politeness to prevent others from getting close to him. Nevertheless, he has a habit of treating others with kindness despite the dangers he may face. It is a rather vexing aspect of his personality but also an interesting one."

The blacksmith blinked at him in surprise and rubbed his jaw with his free hand. "That's a rather surprisingly accurate description of my nephew." He then narrowed his eyes at the yokai. "But how could _you_ have known that? You just explained that you were denizen of another world! And that my nephew just summoned you yesterday!" He practically growled at the last part.

"_Kukukuku, _my master has been my master _far longer_ than he has been your nephew." It bowed its head to take an even closer look at the former holder of its name. Natsume-dono was deeply asleep, looking rather adorable as a child despite his complete change in appearance. His gender would garner now more confusion if its fellow yokai were here as well...that would rather make an interesting spectacle now that it thought about it.

(But then again, yokai did not care about the gender of humans or in this case, ogres. They cared little about it after all. It would just have to wait and see then.)

Misuzu did not miss the shock that appeared on the ogre's face when it said so.

"Do you still need me to explain it you?" It asked condescendingly with another sh*t-eating grin.

It took a moment for the ogre to come up with the answer.

"An Otherworlder...A Reincarnated Otherworlder..." The man muttered under his breath but Misuzu could hear it as clear as day. "It would explain your knowledge of his personality, and a bit of his behavior but still...why would he still choose himself not to open up to the others?"

"Experience, but mostly fear." The bull-like yokai answered and then looked to the side where a familiar purple skinned teenage ogre was running towards them in slight panic. "That will be for now. Perhaps I'll tell you more if I feel like it."

It — _he_ (the uncle finally acknowledged), looked back at him and offered his human-like hand to carry the small ogre child. "Besides, you seem to be quite busy so I shall take it from here to take care of my lord."

Reluctantly, the blacksmith ogre handed his nephew to the yokai's hand. It was gentle, Misuzu could tell. The ogre gently ruffled his master's hair before nodding to himself and then stood upright to face the younger ogre who was now at his side. Misuzu could care less now and stopped listening to whatever they had to say, he floated to the side of Natsume-dono's house and gently cradled the boy in his hand.

Once the two ogres left, he bowed his head once again to look at his master. "You have changed in appearance, milord. I wonder what else has changed about you?" He paused momentarily and then smiled. "When you awaken, I have much to tell you."

_(Your power in this world has also seemed to have increased. You are no longer a weak human but your personality seems to still be weak. _

_Are you still unfit to hold my name I wonder...)_

* * *

**TBC**


	7. VI: Misuzu 3

_**Kizuna**_

**(Natsume Yuujinchou x Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken)**

* * *

**Author's Note: This fanfiction was inspired by ****_harunekoya's "Worthy of A Name" and "The Human Mask"_**** featuring a human-turned-god Natsume, as well as reading Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken manga chapters. Please be warned that this fic will involve slash sometime later in the story so don't read this if you don't like slash stories. _But, _it will be mostly gen...probably...with hints of romance (or its the other way around?). This is a crack fic after all so no real deep planning was made in this story.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Warnings: OOCness (it is inevitable), may have failure in writing the game-like parts in this story, future slash pairing**

* * *

**VI: Misuzu 3**

* * *

It was another pleasant morning when the little blacksmith ogre finally aroused from his sleep. He reached out to rub his eyes as he struggled to properly get up. However, once he sensed a familiar aura just outside his home, he immediately sat upright and slowly called out the yokai's name.

"Misuzu?"

"I am here, my lord." The dark skinned yokai immediately answered, his huge eye peering inside from the open window to his room.

Takashi sighed in relief and got out of his bed to approach his friend. "I'm glad you're here, Misuzu. I've missed you." He petted his large snout gently, giving himself a more solid evidence of the fact that the yokai was right there in front of him.

Misuzu closed his eyes in the rare occasion of enjoying his master's touch. He could feel his master's tender and nostalgic gaze upon him and knew that it was time.

"I suppose you are in dire need of questions, my lord." He stated before opening his eyes to stare at the young ogre's light green eyes. Natsume-dono smiled gently and nodded, stopping his petting and moved back inside.

"Let me just change, I'll be down in a bit."

The yokai nodded in acquiescence and drifted downwards, patiently waiting for the former holder of the Book of friends to appear.

" — be going out now, uncle!" He heard the boy shout while running out with his hair in disarray.

"Wait — ittle black — !" The rest of the older ogre's words were unintelligible as the two, both master and servant, had already begun to move away from the house.

Misuzu found himself chuckling. "Dear me, what a strange master I have. You did not have to rush, your answers will not be going anywhere after all." Instead of the expected nod, the former human shook his head in disagreement.

Humming in curiosity, the Lord of the Bell-Crying Swamp asked why despite already having an inkling to the boy's thoughts. Even back when the boy had been human, his intuition had been strong.

"It's just a feeling," his master answered. "I have this feeling that you cannot stay long here."

"You would be correct in that regard," the yokai spoke, praise filling his tone. "The result of my summoning and your Unique Skill was a compromise set between us and the system these denizens so respectfully call the **[Voice of the World]**."

"By _us_, were you possibly referring to the yokai whose names were held within the Book of Friends?" Takashi questioned. His eyes held a bit of longing in them and his aura tasted nostalgic to the spirit. "And what is the time limit of your presence in this world? Why _is_ there a time limit in the first place?"

"Why indeed." A familiar answer escaped his lips as if in jest, a reminder of the same answer he had given back when he was being interrogated by the former human. The two were at the base of the hill where the Glass Leaf tree grew now. On their way to it, they had passed several ogres, both young and old, waving at them in either joy, excitement, or respect. Surprisingly, none had cowered away in fear.

It was that kind of world where the strong ruled over the weak, and the weak respected the justifiably strong. Somewhat similar to the world of spirits.

"Misuzu." The scolding tone was clear in the boy's tone but the spirit knew it was more in annoyed fondness rather than true anger.

A breeze blew past them, causing their attention to drift over to the Sword Ogre who was in the middle of training the younger ogres. The old-looking ogre paused and turned to look at them as if sensing their stare. He nodded in acknowledgement then returned to devoting his concentration of teaching the younger generation.

"Misuzu...will you tell me now?" Sadness suddenly washed over the yokai, his master's emotions being quite overpowering but not to the extent of losing his senses. How negative of the boy, he thought idly.

"I'll answer your questions and more once we reach your favorite place." He pointed at the Glass Leaf Tree that sat on top of the hill.

"How did you — "

"It was very simple, my lord. I simply asked your uncle and he answered."

"I see." The walk uphill for the young ogre was silent with Misuzu simply floating beside him.

.

.

.

"We have arrived."

* * *

**ooo**

* * *

In another part of the village, a scout arrived in front of the matriarch of the tribe. Beside her were the other leaders within the village as they spoke of what to do with newly discovered Unique Skill holder. The scout was another budding warrior who delved deeper in the shadows compared to the frontline fighters of the village.

The young scout ogre had dark skin tinted with blue which made it look overall grayish. A single white horn protruded from his forehead, parting his long dark blue bangs from his face to reveal blue eyeshadows underneath his blue eyes, and two canines peeking from the corners of his upper lips. He wore tight fitting clothes and his signature scarf.

He was called Blue Scarf Scout Ogre because of his tendency to wear scarves no matter what weather or occasion.

"You may report." Okusama ordered the young scout.

"Yes! There were sightings of the chief together with his personal guard fast approaching the village. I infer that in half a day, they shall arrive." He reported. "Awaiting your commands, my lady!"

"Announce of their arrival to the village but tell the villagers not to mention a word of the little blacksmith and his summon. The leaders and I will be in charge of disseminating this particular information to the head! My word will be held even after the chief's arrival and anyone who disobeys will be punished!" She ordered immediately with rest nodding along behind her. It seemed that they already had a plan regarding the blacksmith ogre's nephew.

"I shall do as you command!" And then the boy disappeared.

* * *

**TBC**


	8. VII: Death

_**Kizuna**_

**(Natsume Yuujinchou x Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken)**

* * *

**Author's Note: This fanfiction was inspired by ****_harunekoya's "Worthy of A Name" and "The Human Mask"_**** featuring a human-turned-god Natsume, as well as reading Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken manga chapters. Please be warned that this fic will involve slash sometime later in the story so don't read this if you don't like slash stories. _But, _it will be mostly gen...probably...with hints of romance (or its the other way around?). This is a crack fic after all so no real deep planning was made in this story.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Warnings: OOCness (it is inevitable), may have failure in writing the game-like parts in this story, future slash pairing**

* * *

**VII: Death**

* * *

"As I have said before, we have much to discuss." Misuzu reiterated as he laid his body around the Glass Leaf Tree while Takashi sat with his back against the trunk.

The young ogre nodded in return and leaned in with an eager expression. He had a lot of questions but he reigned it in for the meantime; it would be better if he listened first and then asked the other questions later.

"Where should I begin?" The yokai asked first after settling down.

Takashi paused and then took a moment to rub his chin as he pondered over where to begin. Eventually, he came to a decision. With bright and expectant eyes, he turned to look at Misuzu. "With my death." He answered confidently.

Misuzu grinned. "Kukuku ~ a daring choice. As expected of you, my lord." He stared deep into the ogre's eyes as he said this. "Very well then, let me begin."

.

.

.

_Upon your death, we had heard a voice. It was a peculiar and unnatural voice._

_Perhaps we had heard it due to our connection to you but deep down we knew, there was a desire to accompany you even after death._

_Spirits like us live for a long time...when we become involved with humans, there is sometimes a deep regret or longing. Foolish as there some are who dive deeply into a relationship with a human, there are others who keep their distance, never interacting with them. To those in between, the moments or encounters where us spirits meeting humans, become a simple memory...a nostalgic event to prevent whatever negative emotions attached to that particular memory, from taking over us. Some fail to do so and become entrenched with resentment for becoming forgotten, not realizing that that human may have already passed away._

_I, who was in between...had foolishly become attached to you._

_But that fake cat whom you call so fondly by a certain name -_

_._

_._

_._

"You mean, Nyanko-sensei?" Takashi found himself interrupting.

Misuzu simply nodded.

.

.

_._

_Madara had been the most aggrieved upon learning of your death. His attachment to you was even greater than both mine and Hinoe, as well as the others._

_So when that voice spoke... _

_It had not introduced itself nor explained itself fully...it only stated something which changed our thoughts about your death._

**《The individual [Natsume Takashi] will be reincarnated and given the Unique Skill [Book of Friends].》**

_It had stated your status which relieved most of us, knowing that you would live again but why it had happened was a true mystery. Unfortunately, we had not been given enough time when it suddenly announced another message._

**《Confirmation pending...seeking confirmation for renewal of the contract known as the [Book of Friends] with the individual [Natsume Takashi]...(Y/N)?》**

_It had not deigned to give us more information, only a choice._

_A choice which I somehow do not regret._

_._

_._

_._

Misuzu stared at his master who seemed to be in deep contemplation over his story.

"Shall I continue, my lord?" He asked, causing the young ogre to look up with surprised eyes.

"Ah, y-yes! Please do so, Misuzu!"

.

.

.

_ Upon accepting the choice, we had ended up in a dark space. And then the voice proceeded to give us more information._

_It had told us that due to your strong wish of remaining in contact with the spirits you would have had to leave behind once you died, it decided to create a unique skill suited for that purpose. But the creation of your skill would end up bringing many spirits over to this world, creating a slight scale of imbalance in the number of souls within the system created by the voice's creator. _

_To prevent that from happening, we were transformed into **[demons]**, spiritual lifeforms similar to **[spirits] **and **[angels]**, and then sent into the Spirit World that exists alongside the Material World which in whole, makes up this world. And because names hold power, and our names were already given to us upon the birth of our awareness, we became Named demons the moment we were transferred in._

_While we were indeed demons, what made us different from the other demons were that we were exclusively tied to you and your Unique Skill. Meaning, we could not be summoned by another, even by accident. An additional trait that had been granted to us was that we could stay within the Material World for a few days upon being summoned even despite being provided no material body. However, after the four-day limit was up, we would be then forced to return back to the Spirit World._

_We further decided that in order distinguish ourselves from the other demons, we decided to revert to calling ourselves yokai. It was a simple matter and even the other sentient demons ended up agreeing with it._

_I do not recall how long we have been in the Spirit World but before I knew it, I was summoned by you, milord._

_._

_._

_._

"Misuzu, I've been wondering...why do you not call me Natsume-dono like you did before? Ever since you were summoned, you just simply call me 'milord' instead." Takashi asked, looking a bit hurt. "I feel like you're distancing yourself with me, are we not friends?"

Misuzu dared not blink and simply stared.

"You must understand, milord. I am a now a Named demon. If I carelessly call you as before, you will end up getting Named which is akin to me branding you as _my_ subordinate instead. You must remember that you are our master first and foremost despite our friendship. Additionally, my magicules may end up drained as a risk on the event I name you so my existence is on the line as well." He explained.

Tears began to form in the corner of the young ogre's eyes. He blinked in surprise and started trying to wipe it away with the sleeve of his kimono.

"Huh? Why am I crying?"

"What are you feeling now, my lord?"

"Me? I'm feeling..." Takashi closed his eyes and closed his hand on his chest, over where his heart beated steadily. _What is this feeling? It's..._

"..relief. I'm feeling relieved by your answer."

He chuckled at himself.

"You probably find it amusing to have such a silly master, don't you, Misuzu?" He asked, although it seemed to be a slight admonishment at himself for crying so easily.

"It is alright, milord."

.

.

.

"Hey, Misuzu..."

Takashi was lying on his back against the grassy floor now.

"What is it, milord?" The bull-like yokai asked.

"Did Nyanko-sensei and Hinoe..." He trailed off, a little afraid to finish the question.

"You can summon them next time if you want to."

The ogre child smiled.

"Thank you, Misuzu."

* * *

**TBC**


	9. VIII: Idea

**_Kizuna_**

**(Natsume Yuujinchou x Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken)**

* * *

**Author's Note: This fanfiction was inspired by _harunekoya's "Worthy of A Name" and "The Human Mask"_ featuring a human-turned-god Natsume, as well as reading Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken manga chapters. Please be warned that this fic will involve slash sometime later in the story so don't read this if you don't like slash stories. _But, _it will be mostly gen...probably...with hints of romance (or its the other way around?). This is a crack fic after all so no real deep planning was made in this story.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Warnings: OOCness (it is inevitable), may have failure in writing the game-like parts in this story, future slash pairing**

* * *

**VIII: Idea**

* * *

A large group of middle-aged looking ogres came riding their horses into the Ogre Village. Many of them wore Japanese-fashioned armor and had a variety of Japanese weaponry at their sides. At the front, leading them further into the village, was a red skinned ogre with a fierce looking face. He had long straight crimson red hair tied into a low ponytail and a matching goatee. He wore tight fitting clothes under his armour like the rest, and a sheathed _katana_ was at his waist.

This man was the village head, the _chief_ of the Ogre tribe.

He bore no name but had swordsmanship skills just below the Sword Ogre's own, giving hint that he was stronger than the rest of the warriors of the village. He was a great leader and the village flourished under his leadership. He was also a firm believer of raw strength in combat but later on became more inclined to believe that even magic had its own strength in combat due to his wife's views about it. Nevertheless, what was still favored was the use of martial arts and weapons to slash, slice, and pierce through their enemies.

The Ogre tribe called him "Chief".

The villagers waved and greeted the group, happy of their safe return.

However, just a few minutes after, a certain blue skinned ogre scout wearing his signature scarf appeared at the side. The Chief reigned in his horse and the rest of the ogres behind him followed.

"What is it?" The leader ordered.

Blue Scarf Scout Ogre bowed his head as he placed a hand over his chest in reverence to his leader. "Okusama has requested your presence, my lord." He answered.

The chief snorted but then laughed heartily. "I understand, tell my wife that I will visit her immediately. You are dismissed."

"Yes, chief!" The scout then left.

And then the parade of returning ogres continued on their way, heading to the stables where they kept their horses.

* * *

**ooo**

* * *

Meanwhile, in the chief's residence, the head matriarch was smoothening over some details with the rest of the lower ranked leaders.

"So I will be taking the lead as planned. Do you remember what you have to do?" Okusama stressed out her last sentence as she spoke.

The rest nodded. "We are to only speak of what has been discussed and nothing else." They answered with sheepish smiles.

_"I'm glad you understand."_ She smiled but there was an ominous aura yet again behind that devilish smile.

They gulped in response. _She's one scary ogre indeed._

**"I have finally arrived home, my dearest wife!"**

A sudden booming voice caught their attention.

"The chief's here!" Someone gasped but was quickly shushed.

There were thundering footsteps echoing throughout the residence and became louder as it neared the meeting room. The shadow of the chief could clearly be seen through the _shoji _doors and the head lady calmly stood up to welcome her husband, the rest quietly following her lead from behind.

"Welcome, my husband." Okusama approached him with a hug and quick kiss on the lips.

The chief was all smiles at first upon seeing his wife but quickly smoothed his features to a serious one upon seeing his direct subordinates standing just a few meters inside the room.

"Hm? What are you doing here?" He asked and then sighed. "If you have something you wish to say, could you not do it a day after my arrival instead? I am in need of my rest after all."

"Husband, I was the one that called them here." She interrupted him before he could decide to really kick them out.

The chief looked at his wife and then to his retainers, before sighing again and taking a seat on his specially reserved cushion. He sat rather lazily but despite his posture, he was clearly not meant to be trifled with.

"So? What is this about?"

"A Unique Skill holder has been discovered amongst the ogre children." One spoke up and immediately sat in a _seiza_ position with rest following their actions.

"Due to their special ability, we were thinking of adding them to the list of candidates for your children's personal royal guard." Another piped in.

"What do you think of this idea, my lord?"

They patiently waited for their lord's answer while avoiding their lady's burning gaze from the side.

.

.

.

The chief hummed and rubbed on his goatee. "What is the identity of this child? And what is their Unique Skill?"

"Oh! They are the nephew of the head blacksmith, milord!"

"It seems their Unique Skill involves having the ability to summon something akin to spiritual beings, they're called _yokai_, milord."

The other two who had not yet spoken, joined in the report.

Seemingly bored, the red skinned ogre nodded. "I see, I see. That seems like a good idea." He then waved them off. "You can go now. You are dismissed."

Before they stood up to get out, they stared pitifully at the okusama. Their eyes asking her if this much was fine.

She only smiled and they gulped again before finally leaving.

.

.

.

The house was finally quiet.

.

.

.

"Wife, are you hiding something from me?" The question was sudden but not unexpected.

Okusama laughed in amusement.

"Why do you ask?" She asked with crescents in her eyes.

"Your burning gaze towards them wasn't exactly subtle, you know." He answered.

She touched her cheek and pretended to look worried. "Oh my, it seems you found me out."

"Their reporting was rather short and precise to the point...which is unlike them since they tend to ramble when they report to me. I pity those poor men for being forced to report like this under your whims." He leaned against the wall as he said this, looking a lot less serious and more amused instead. "I understand that this has something to do with little blacksmith?"

"You understand perfectly." She nodded.

"Will you tell me now?"

"Hmm..." She hummed and stood up, walked towards him, and then sat at his side, his arm around her shoulder. "I suppose so. I do want little blacksmith to be a part of our children's personal royal guard though. I wasn't kidding about that."

The chief chuckled sheepishly. "The head blacksmith might threaten me in exchange for purposefully putting his nephew as a shield."

"Don't worry about that." She snuggled at his side. "I'll take care of that part."

"Why do you want that boy to be a part of our children's royal guard anyway? Are you scheming something?"

Okusama huffed in annoyance. "You idiot husband. Don't call it scheming! I'm matchmaking!"

"To our daughter? I thought our daughter already made it clear that her feelings for the boy was platonic. Besides, there are other ways to get them closer to each other."

"No!" She cut him off. "I meant to our son!"

The chief nearly collapsed at her words.

* * *

**TBC**


	10. IX: Agreement

**_Kizuna_**

**(Natsume Yuujinchou x Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken)**

* * *

**Author's Note: This fanfiction was inspired by _harunekoya's "Worthy of A Name" and "The Human Mask"_ featuring a human-turned-god Natsume, as well as reading Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken manga chapters. Please be warned that this fic will involve slash sometime later in the story so don't read this if you don't like slash stories. _But, _it will be mostly gen...probably...with hints of romance (or its the other way around?). This is a crack fic after all so no real deep planning was made in this story.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Warnings: OOCness (it is inevitable), may have failure in writing the game-like parts in this story, future slash pairing**

* * *

**IX: Agreement**

* * *

Blue Scarf Scout Ogre, just like his many predecessors before him, was trained differently from the rest of the ogres within the village. His bloodline worked in the shadows and were masters in espionage and assassination. Ever since he had been young, his sire had taught him that he would become a part of the tribe leader's children's personal royal guard in the near future.

He considered it an honor to be given such a position and strove to work hard in order to become worthy of the standing.

Besides, after having observed the young master of the ogre tribe in the shadows, he could see his fellow ogre's strength and potential. The young red-skinned ogre would become a force to reckon with in the future.

_"Blue Scarf Scout Ogre."_ The summon is sudden but unsurprising. He promptly arrived in front of the chief and his wife.

"What are your orders?" His eyes were closed and his body was bent subserviently as he asked in utmost respect.

(He would not notice the subtle glare aimed at the chief coming from the matriarch as he waited for orders.)

Okusama was the one who ended up speaking. She ordered him to call for the little blacksmith immediately, followed by the head blacksmith but with a slight delay in order for her to be given more time to persuade the ogre child.

He opened his eyes and looked up slightly from his bowing position to stare at the chief. When the chief gave an acknowledging nod, he bowed his head and spoke. "I heed and obey." And then excused himself before leaving the room to search for the said ogre.

As he ran out of the chief's residence, his mind wandered to the candidates who would fill up the young master and princess's personal royal guard. Aside from himself, the more-than-probable candidates were undoubtedly the renowned Sword Ogre, a beastly, aspiring female warrior called Wild Purple, and as of the moment, the head blacksmith's nephew called Little Blacksmith who had been recently revealed to be in possession of a Unique Skill.

Although there would be trouble for sure concerning the last candidate.

Not from the candidate himself, but from his uncle, the head blacksmith.

It was no secret that the head blacksmith ogre was fiercely protective of his nephew due to the young grey-skinned ogre being the only one left of the man's family.

Nevertheless, he had no say in the tribe leader and okusama's choice for candidacy. Additionally, it would ultimately be the little blacksmith's choice to either decline the position and earn some animosity from the villagers for refusing such an honorable offer, or accept and earn prestige, as well as respect in return.

He was currently just a messenger, and a fellow candidate after all.

* * *

**ooo**

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the village chief's house of residence, the chief was in the middle of trying to convince his dear wife to give him more insight towards her thoughts regarding little blacksmith's candidacy as a royal guard. As well as the reason why in the world would she would want to partner their son together with his head blacksmith's nephew - not that he was wholly against it of course.

With the only problem being that same-sex couples could not procreate which would bring into question who would inherit once his son had taken up his position as chief in the later future, he wondered what his wife was planning to do about that problem.

(His daughter potentially could give birth to a child after she was married, where the child would then inherit in place of his son's nonexistent offspring. But there was a slight possibility that his daughter could end up with someone of the same sex or someone whom she could not procreate with. The former being...he'd rather not think about as of the moment while the latter being improbable as it would be expected of her to marry someone of the same species.

Not unless something happened...

He digressed.

Anyway, what was presently important was to find out what she was really planning.)

He waited patiently while looking expectantly at his wife after persuading her as much as he could. Fortunately, she answered and explained explicitly.

"As you may have surmised, I have been planning their marriage for quite some time." She began as she stood up, escaping his embrace. Taking a step forward, she continued speaking. "But the truth was that I had been planning this ever since I laid my eyes on White Camellia's babe when she and her husband had invited me to visit a few days after his birth."

"Little blacksmith was a beautiful child, I could already imagine what beautiful children he would create with our son. But much to my dismay upon conversing with White Camellia of my intentions to marry our children in the later future, she had declined, stating that it would be impossible." His wife turned to the side to stare outside at the blue sky. "Back then, I had not known of little blacksmith's gender and immediately presumed that 'he' was a 'she' so I ended up assuming something else regarding her reasons for her refusal. I had argued that we were close friends and that our differing statuses did not matter."

"When I had started rambling reasons as to why she should not decline, she had interrupted me to ask about the succession. Reluctantly, I had told her of my fantasies of our future grandchildren." She closed her eyes as she held her cheek as if she was in the midst of imagining it yet again. "She then corrected me regarding her child's gender after realizing that I apparently had assumed wrong. It was with a heavy heart and mind-numbing shock that I returned to our home to mull over the new revelation."

(Silently in the background, the chief suddenly remembered a time his wife had been depressed for a period of time and wondered why it was so. To think that this had been the reason though...)

"However, as time passed, I decided to search for a solution to the problem regarding future offspring. I swore that I would find a solution and returned to White Camellia with newfound confidence and bursting creativity. She had been about to refuse yet again since I had no probable solution as of yet but her husband, Grey Lance, stopped her and accepted the offer in her stead. White Camellia had been frustrated with her husband's acceptance but eventually gave in after my constant pleadings."

"Was there a written contract?" He found himself asking in curiosity.

The matriarch shook her head. "White Camellia would not agree unless it was an oral contract. It had been a hesitant decision on my part since I wanted it to be on paper so that it would be more legally binding but I made due with it. She wanted it to be as such since the probability of me finding a solution was nil and that there would be no evidence if anyone else ever found out about it. Additionally, the contract would not be mentioned unless (a) our son and their son mutually fell in love, and (b) that I would actually find a way to actually make the two be able to have children. And in the case the first clause was fulfilled and the second was not, they could still marry but the successor to the chief position would go to our daughter's firstborn. By the way, Grey Lance and Sword Ogre had been the only witnesses!" Her last words added as if in afterthought.

The chief nearly choked on the tea he was drinking upon hearing who the witnesses were.

(He could understand that Grey Lance could not tell him since he had already passed away, but Sword Ogre...?!

He quickly shook his head.

If he had asked, the older sword master would have probably denied answering him as it had been a private agreement.

_But it had been about their son!_

He could only sigh after scolding his wife for not telling him.)

* * *

**TBC**


	11. X: Observation

_**Kizuna**_

**(Natsume Yuujinchou x Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken)**

* * *

**Author's Note: This fanfiction was inspired by ****_harunekoya's "Worthy of A Name" and "The Human Mask"_**** featuring a human-turned-god Natsume, as well as reading Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken manga chapters. Please be warned that this fic will involve slash sometime later in the story so don't read this if you don't like slash stories. _But, _it will be mostly gen...probably...with hints of romance (or its the other way around?). This is a crack fic after all so no real deep planning was made in this story.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Warnings: OOCness (it is inevitable), may have failure in writing the game-like parts in this story, future slash pairing**

* * *

**X: Observation**

* * *

Misuzu, the great yokai spirit who had once been known as the Lord of the Bell-Crying Swamp before accepting the offer of becoming a peculiar human's lifelong contracted demon spirit in another world, found himself amused. It truly had been a moment of impulse, as well as a culmination of hidden desire of sticking together with a human who had the _sight_ and spent time with him and the other spirits with little fear, when that voice had spoken to them just moments after his said master's death.

_I have no regrets,_ he thought to himself in reaffirmation.

And then there was yet another breeze which caused the two small bells piercing his left ear to tinkle softly. It was in that split second he sensed the presence of another ogre child within the vicinity. "Hm?" He hummed, catching the attention of the now-awake reincarnated otherworlder who had been in the midst of drifting off to sleep.

"What is it, Misuzu?" Natsume-dono asked as he sat up to check his surroundings. He looked from side-to-side but found nothing. It was then the silver-haired boy closed his eyes to focus on finding out what was it that the bull-like yokai had sensed.

Misuzu watched the boy eventually open his light green eyes and direct it towards a certain direction.

"Blue Scarf Scout-san, is there something you need?" Natsume-dono asked and seconds later, a blue-haired and one-horned ogre appeared. The other ogre appeared to be around the same age around his master and could be likened to the "ninjas" that had been mentioned back in passing in the other world.

_Besides that..._

He stared intently at the blue-haired ogre who seemed to be in a momentary daze which happened to be directed at his master. He hummed once he realized that something subtle was happening right in front of him (subtle to some but rather revealing to him in his opinion).

It was not surprising for this reincarnation of Natsume Takashi to be rather beautiful despite the ogre clan's natural appearance to look quite rough and wild instead (although there were some exceptions). Even back then, he had inherited his grandmother's beauty which had not gone unnoticed to other yokai despite the two being merely humans with the _sight_.

His intense staring eventually prompted the one-horned ogre to recover from his daze and speak out the message.

"Little blacksmith, the chief and the matriarch have required for your immediate presence in their residence."

"Oh," Natsume-dono uttered in surprise before showing a polite smile. "I will do so. Thank you for telling me."

There was another bout of pause (it appeared the messenger was in a daze yet again) but it had been shorter than the one before.

"I shall take my leave then." The boy immediately left.

.

.

.

"..." There appeared to be a slight furrow present in his master's closed eyes; a small frown was also present on his master's face which happened to be slightly covered by his right hand. He looked a bit confused if the bull-like yokai wished to specify it.

"Is something the matter, my lord?" Misuzu asked. He already had a feeling to what it was about but deigned to ask due to his meager curiosity concerning the subject.

"Oh, uh, it's nothing much but I've noticed that Blue Scarf Scout-san tends to be a bit distracted when I converse with him." Natsume-dono answered, confusion still evident in his tone. "...I wonder why though?"

The former Lord of the Bell-Crying Swamp laughed in his usual creepy laugh which spooked the young ogre. It soon morphed into a wide grin as he gazed upon the former human. "Oh my, so it appears you are not as ignorant as I thought, my lord."

"Huh?" Escaped the lips of his master. It had been dumbfoundment at first before eventually evolving to anger and annoyance. "Wait, what did you mean by that? Misuzu!"

Misuzu simply grinned as he started floating down the hill. He heard a sigh of frustration from behind him and then...sounds of running. It did not take long before Natsume-dono caught up to him and was now running alongside him (where his speed had been slowly upping in the background).

* * *

**ooo **

* * *

"We're here." Takashi announced in front of the village chief's house.

"Hmm...I suppose this form won't make do with your meeting." He heard his friend mutter. There was a soft breeze coming from his side and the giant shadow that had engulfed a side of the house had become smaller - closer to the size of a tall adult human male. A _human _male.

Takashi laughed sheepishly upon realizing that Misuzu could actually take the form of a human.

(It was remarkably easy to forget that Misuzu could change into a human as his transformations had been sparse in number and he kept to his original form nearly all the time since Takashi had first met him.)

He had to admit though that his yokai friend was rather attractive. His unusually wide and creepy eyes had dwarfed into something smaller and narrower in size.

(_What a beautiful blue_, he had secretly thought back then.)

Although his skin was still light than the expected dark skin tone as evidenced by his original form. Compared to the first time he had unknowingly met the bull-like yokai's human form together with Takuma, Misuzu had longer but still wavy pinkish grey hair which reached his back now instead of merely his neck. Unsurprisingly, the yokai was wearing a light purple kimono to match the attire of the other village residents.

The bells..._the bells _that pierced his left ear had been a part of the set that made him exude a mysterious charm.

_(Takashi would later realize that he seemed to have a small crush on Misuzu's human form...but that would be a far future from now...)_

"Shall we go in now, my lord?"

He nodded dumbly in awe.

* * *

**TBC**


	12. XI: Guts

_**Kizuna**_

**(Natsume Yuujinchou x Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken)**

* * *

**Author's Note: This fanfiction was inspired by ****_harunekoya's "Worthy of A Name" and "The Human Mask"_**** featuring a human-turned-god Natsume, as well as reading Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken manga chapters. Please be warned that this fic will involve slash sometime later in the story so don't read this if you don't like slash stories. _But, _it will be mostly gen...probably...with hints of romance (or its the other way around?). This is a crack fic after all so no real deep planning was made in this story.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Warnings: OOCness (it is inevitable), may have failure in writing the game-like parts in this story, future slash pairing**

* * *

_**A/N: Btw there's a short timeskip so don't be too confused why the scene is suddenly different from the previous chapter.**_

* * *

**XI: Guts**

* * *

A portion of the Forest of Jura was silent.

It was like there was a bubble enveloping that certain area, nothing else could be heard but the rustling of leaves as well as the soft breaths coming from a small group of hunters. Their bodies were tense like a spring, ready to jump into action as soon as their prey was within their sight.

The four shadows hidden up in the trees stared intently at the area below them while simultaneously trying to mask their killing intent.

And then a familiar figure jumped out of the bushes, causing the bubble of silence to burst.

His body had grown slightly but it did not deter others from recognizing him. With his short dark blue hair and the single white horn protruding from his forehead, as well as his signature blue scarf wrapped around his neck, Blue Scarf Scout Ogre had returned.

He took a huge leap forwards, turning around mid-air and taking out a pair of _ninjato_ from his lower back, as he landed a few meters away from where he first appeared. Seconds later, the gigantified form of a black ant came into sight. It chittered and squeaked as it menacingly tried to attack the lone ogre with its large mandibles.

Blue Scarf Scout Ogre dodged its first strike with another jump and took a swipe at its antenna with his short sword. As he was busy getting its attention, three of the four shadows hidden above jumped down from their perches. The first shadow revealed itself to be a young female ogre with purple tinted skin. The large black horn protruding from the middle of her forehead gleamed and her short light purple ponytail fluttered as she landed on the ant's thorax, the large spiked ball mace in her hands slamming down onto its exoskeleton. She then jumped away to avoid falling down with it.

The ant lost its balance and collapsed onto the ground, chittering loudly in agony at the sudden attack.

Meanwhile, the second and third shadows landed on the ground, revealing themselves to be two pubescent teen ogres, the young master and the little blacksmith of the ogre tribe. The former took out his _wakizashi_ and proceeded to bisect the giant insect in half while the latter raised his hand and summoned a hound-shaped fire to devour its corpse.

The dark blue-haired and light purple-haired ogres joined the two as they watched the fire burn the black ant into ashes.

And then the last shadow landed behind them while rubbing its long white beard. It turned out to be the ogre tribe's weapon instructor, Sword Ogre. On his shoulder was a pudgy tri-colored _maneki neko_ staring at them with boredom filling its black eyes.

"Good job, you've been getting better with these extermination missions." He smiled as he congratulated them.

"Pah! It was just a small fry." The lucky cat huffed in annoyance before turning to stare at its "master". "Oi, gaki! Carry me!" He commanded to the grey-haired ogre.

Little Blacksmith chuckled softly at the cat's antics, subconsciously hiding his mouth behind his long sleeve as he did so. "Oh Nyanko-sensei." He said fondly before he started to walk towards Sword Ogre and take the cat in his arms. Their instructor light-heartedly cooperated with the sudden command and bent down a little so he could take the talking cat. Once it was finally in his arms, it suddenly jumped in its spot and its ears twitched as if it heard something.

Nyanko-sensei clicked his tongue and narrowed his eyes as he turned to stare at the scout ogre. "It seems you've led more than a single of those small fries to our spot. You brats better get ready." He said, annoyance evident in his tone.

Sword Ogre hummed, still rubbing his beard with his fingers as he stared at them with one eye open. "I'll handle the rest to prevent yourselves from getting too overwhelmed. For now, you will be aided and instructed by Madara-san." He then disappeared from their sights.

"Tch. That old coot." Nyanko-sensei, _aka_ Madara grumbled as he leapt down from the pubescent teen's arms to transform in a cloud of white smoke. The smoke soon disappeared to unveil a large, furry white canine. He growled and glanced momentarily at the small group of ogres behind him. His narrow slanted golden eyes bore on them for a moment before he turned away. "He left his job to me." His sudden deep voice left no effect on them as it had not been his first time transforming in front of them.

"Nyanko-sensei." Takashi murmured in warning.

"Whatever. I'll pin them down, you guys attack. If another comes before we finish off the first one, adapt." He instructed with not much effort.

_"Osu!" _They answered loudly as they prepared for battle.

.

.

.

Upon entering the village, the group were in utter dismay at the state of their bodies and clothes. The only one left without any trace from the massacre they had caused on the blacks ants was their weapon instructor, Sword Ogre. He looked rather pleased with himself as he walked a good distance away from them. While the rest of the villagers were watching them from afar with wrinkled noses and fanning hands.

"Ugh!" The only female ogre amongst them, also known as Wild Purple, groaned as she wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Ant guts. The battle was awesome but I want to get rid of this smell quickly."

"I'm going to go home and take a bath." Takashi declared while pinching his nose to prevent himself from smelling any more of the horrid scent emanating from their clothes.

"I'm of the same idea," the young master said in agreement, "let's disperse. The smell will only get worse the longer we're covered in the black ants' innards."

"Oi, brats. The blue-haired one and the old coot already left while you were busy complaining about the smell." Nyanko-sensei suddenly interrupted.

"Wait," The three shouted angrily, "what?!"

* * *

**TBC**


End file.
